- Wang Family Courtyard
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Wang Family Courtyard is also known as Shanhaiguan Folk Museum, which is located in the wise side of the"First Pass in the World", East Third Alley in Shanhaiguan three alley, known as the first family at the starting point of the Great Wall.
Wang Family Courtyard was built in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty, covering an area of more than 10 Mu. The construction area is over 2,000 square meters, which is divided into three yards. Its architectural layout is very strict, and the style is elegant and chic, which is a typical Ming and Qing quadrangle courtyard. There is a poem describing it: "green brick paving and tile piling, lattice window reflecting the corridor. Bamboo is swaying, grass is green, swallow is twittering, butterfly is dancing, flower is fragrant”.
Wang Family flourished during the reign of Xianfeng. The master used to be a Shanxi salt businessman, and their business practice was to run the family loyally and work hard. They soon developed from small business to salt transport and border trade, until banks. Their business developed, but they became more charitable, and even respected the beggar. After a few years, in a snowy and windy night, the family of Wang were sleeping, suddenly there came knocks on the door. Outside the door stood three ragged old beggars. The master of Wang family invited them inside and asked his wife to cook and feed them. The three gobbled and indicated they they wanted to sleep. The servant was unhappy and thought they were unreasonable, but the master thought it was cold outside and arranged them to rest. The next morning, when the servant sent breakfast, the guests had left and the room was empty. The servant hurried to check the things in the room, nothing was gone. However, there were three golden Buddhas on the bed they had slept, and the master had realized that it was the Buddha who came to inspect his character. In order to thank the Buddha, the master of Wang Family offered incense every day to worship Buddha, and the local people respectfully called him "Wang Sanfo". Later, the business of Wang family was more prosperous, to the reign of Guangxu, they became well-known wealthy merchants, occupying “half of the business” in Shanhaiguan "half of the country", known as Shanhaiguan "Southern Half City".
The most legendary was that "Chen Yuanyuan", a beauty in the troubled times, once lived here. It was said that Wu Sangui served as the commander-in-chief of Guaning in the late Ming Dynasty, commanding an elite troop with 100,000 soldiers to guard the invasion of the Qing in Shanhaiguan. That year, when Wu Sangui returned to Beijing, Tian Guozhou wanted to associate with him to depend on in the future, so he made Chen Yuanyuan, a peerless beauty famous in the south of the Yangtze River to treat Wu. Wu Sangui considered Chen Yuanyuan as a goddess when he saw her, and then marveled that she had an inherent good voice, and was also good at rhythm, lyre-playing, chess, calligraphy and painting. Tian Guozhang saw that Wu Sangui was so attracted and sent Chen Yuanyuan to him. Wu Sangui was happy to have Chen Yuanyuan and took her to Shanhaiguan, where he often went in and out of the house with Chen Yuanyuan, touring in the "First Pass in the World" and the old faucet, having great fun. Due to the emergent military situation outside Shanghaiguan, Wu Sangui had to send Yuanyuan back to the capital.
He did not expect that Li Zicheng’s peasant uprising army rapidly developed inside Shanhaiguan and soon captured Beijing. After Li Zicheng entered Beijing, he was busy recovering the illicit money, occupying land and getting ready to be the emperor and establish a new dynasty. However, he failed to direct troops strictly, and his general Liu Zongmin not only captured and tortured Wu Sangui's father, confiscated Wu’s house, but also took possession of Wu Sangui’s concubine Chen Yuanyuan.
Wu Sangui, who originally promised to surrender to Li Zicheng, could not stand such shame when he heard that Yuanyuan had been possessed by Li’s general, he was so furious and cried loudly, "What is man born for if he can not protect his family?" He pretended to return for the funeral of Chongzhen, but actually he was to avenge his concubine, and vowed to opposite Li Zicheng. So he made a decision that shocked Ming Dynasty: he opened the city gate of Shanhaiguan and let the troops Qing in. He then persuaded the Qing army to fight against the peasant army, deducting "Shanhaiguan Shihe Battle" with far-reaching impact in Chinese history, and closely related to the alternation of Ming, Shun and Qing Dynasties. This was what Wu Meicun said in "Yuanyuan’s Song" said: "make the troops put on white mourning dress, crying, get fury for his love".
The legend was the story, and there is a reality. In Wang Family Courtyard, it feels like the time returned back to hundreds of years ago, to the folk life in Ming and Qing Dynasties. From bed furniture to needlework, from gold and silver jewelry to clothes, candlestick, light, bed, cabinet, table, pillow, box was, quilt, curtain, crown, towel, shoes and socks, copper basin and utensils, porcelain cups and dish, combing appliances to jewelry, rare curios and stationery... In order to experience the profound Chinese culture with a long history, you have to personally on the scene. Fangchun stool, Eight Immortals table, sipping wine, tasting new tea, eating famous snack, listening to music, life’s leisure is all in Wang Family Courtyard with hundreds of years of history...